


What do you Want?

by LadyMurasaki



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Sgrub Session, Community: homesmut, M/M, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-13
Updated: 2013-01-06
Packaged: 2017-11-21 10:28:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 19
Words: 19,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/596674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMurasaki/pseuds/LadyMurasaki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A fill for a request on homesmut:<br/>[paraphrased] "The imperial drones come for Karkat, his blood color having been exposed to the empire somehow. Of all the trolls to come to his rescue, it’s Eridan. Eridan goes toe-to-toe with a drone to make them back off, but Karkat doesn’t know this and, having never met Eridan face-to-face, is confronted with the terrifying view of a pissed off seadweller bursting into his hive and forcefully escorting him to his own hive. Thing is, Karkat has absolutely no idea who he is, why he has been taken to somebody else’s hive, and Eridan doesn’t realize that Karkat is freaking the fuck out."</p><p>(The "Rape/Non-Con" warning is more of a precaution. There is no actual rape, but it is a close thing, so I figured it would be better to err on the side of caution.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate Title: How Not to Stage a Rescue
> 
> This is my first Homestuck fic (but not the first fanfic I've written!); by which I mean, constructive critiques are highly encouraged!
> 
> With the preliminaries out of the way: Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [3thc4p4d3th](3thc4p4d3th.tumblr.com) on Tumblr drew a fantastic fanart for this chapter! Woo, thanks so much! You can see it [here](http://rubaiyate.tumblr.com/post/49965205744/3thc4p4d3th-hey-so-i-finished-the-karkat).

Clutching the torn edges of his shirt together to hide the bright red-oozing gash there on his chest, Karkat dashed madly into his hive, mind blank of anything that wasn’t _run run run get away I’m going to die they’ll cull me hide run._ The low buzzing noise that had followed him quieted further as he slammed the front door shut, but he knew it wasn’t gone. He paused just inside the door, breathe coming in fast pants, eyes darting for somewhere to hide. _There!_ And he scurried into his kitchen and tucked himself into a cabinet. For once his small, mutant body was a blessing _but it’s your fucking mutant blood that got you into this you shitstain_.

He knew he only had a scarce few minutes before the drones would touch down in his lawnring, tear into his house, find him, and drag him from his hiding spot for the culling he knew was coming anyway. He was only holding off the inevitable. But he stayed still, trying to get his breathing under control, crammed up against cleaning products and plumbing.

The floor shook, the flimsy door to his hiding spot rattling ominously. He swallowed hard and curled tighter into himself, eyes shutting tight. _This is it. I’m done for. I’m going to be culled like the worthless cowardly wiggler I am._

He could hear the buzz-click-whirr of the drones outside his hive, their footsteps rattling his bones, but they didn’t seem to be doing anything. Just moving about outside. Maybe they’d just smash his hive to bits or light it on fire instead of drag him out. The thought made something catch in his throat.

The noises outside paused, he thought maybe he could hear voices. His neighbors, maybe; probably they had figured it out and were gathering to cheer on his culling. There’s no other reason any self-respecting troll would be out while the Culling Drones are about. There’s an explosion, a crash, something hitting his hive, and he whimpered quietly. More voices, too indistinct to make out. Shouts, maybe. The whirr-click of a Drone, so close. And then…

And then another buzzing. The Drones were… flying? His hive wasn’t so big that they’d need to fly to destroy it. The buzzing got quieter, further away. Were they leaving?

Karkat remained in his cabinet, shaking violently. He could scarcely believe it. Had they missing him? Were they coming back? What’s going—

His front door slammed open. Karkat froze.

“They’re gone noww. You can come on out.”

The voice wasn’t familiar. Not that he knew many trolls by voice, but this one had an accent to it; he was _sure_ he’d never heard this voice.

The intruder moved through his hive, apparently searching his entertainment block, “C’mon, I saww you come in here. Stop bein’ stupid and get out here. They’re not goin’ to stay awway forevver and I don’t wwanna be here wwhen they send reinforcements.”

He wasn’t sure, but… did that mean this stranger had _fought off the culling drones?_ The mutant blood was instantly suspicious.

The soles of shoes squeaked on the nutrition block’s tile, and Karkat stiffened, fearing being found for a whole new reason. If the Drones found him, they’d just cull him on the spot; he could think of a million things that a random troll could want and, quite honestly, he would rather have been found by the drones.

The stranger moved about the nutrition block, searching. It was when he started opening cabinets that Karkat realized _I can’t just fucking sit here! Do something you moron!_ With those inspirational words ringing in his thinkpan, he launched from the cabinet, fangs bared and claws out ready to fight.

“Whoa, hey there. I was starting to get kinda worried.” It was a seadweller. A fucking seadweller was standing in Karkat’s nutrition block, wielding a gun nearly the same size as its owner. Which was pretty damn big because _that is a fucking seadweller._ The mutantblood was suddenly feeling much less inspired. He was surprised that the seadweller wasn’t laughing at him – tiny and nubby and shaking _goddamnit stop shaking you coward_ and trying to threaten him with chipped and dull claws. It was like a baby meowbeast spitting and snarling at Her Imperious Condescension herself. He just kept _talking_ and then he was moving closer and Karkat stiffened, a low growl escaping his throat unbidden. He chocked it back quickly; maybe… maybe if he just went along quietly and did whatever the purple blood wanted, maybe he’d get out alive. Sure, the other troll still had his gun out, but Karkat wasn’t being actively threatened with it. He likely wasn’t here to cull the mutant, or else he wouldn’t have gone before the drones. Right? Right.

While Karkat had been busy contemplating the threat level, it was risen drastically; the seadweller’s hand closed around Karkat’s wrist and he yanked, pulling the smaller troll out of the kitchen with a sharp, “Come _on_.”

A soft noise that most certainly _was not_ a whimper was issued forth, and Karkat only resisted for the briefest of moments; a sharp, impatient glare and a threat of claws put a stop to that. He brought his free hand up to clench in his shirt pointlessly; the troll had already seen his disgusting blood, there was no point in hiding it.

Karkat was dragged outside and, after a cautious glance around the surrounding lawnrings, away from the hives and in the direction of the sea. His last glance around the home showed it to be deserted, the only sign of life being a flicker of curtains at one of the neighboring hives. He spared a thought for Crabdad who would come home to an empty hive, and almost gave up right there. Whatever this seadweller wanted, Karkat doubted he’d be returning.


	2. Chapter 2

He wasn’t sure why he had thought that a seadweller would walk all the way from the sea just to pick up a new toy. _Of fucking course_ he’d ridden his flying seahorse lusus and left it just outside civilization. Karkat eyed it warily as it snorted at him and moved uneasily. He couldn’t communicate with it as his… savior? Captor?... forced-companion could, but it was pretty obvious: _‘What are you doing with that? You’re not bringing that home. No I don’t care if it followed you just throw it out and let it die peacefully. You can’t keep it, you’ll just forget to feed it like that squeakbeast and let it rot in a cage somewhere until it stinks up the hive.’_

Karkat snorted quietly. 

And then the seadweller was talking to him, “Come on, I got him kinda settled dowwn. Get on.”

The mutantblood just stared incredulously. Did this guy really think he could just pick up a random troll and expect them to come along peacefully? _Not like you’ve been doing that this whole time; of course not who would do something like that? Oh wait, me, because I was too busy practically drooling after his bulge after he swoops in and rescued me like some knight on a white hoofbeast. Skyhorse. Whatever._ “WHAT? NO. FUCK YOU. I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU, EXACTLY HOW MUCH OF A BULGEBITING MORON DO YOU SEEM TO THINK I AM? I DIDN’T JUST DRAG MY CARCASS OUT OF THE MOTHER GRUB’S FESTERING ASSHOLE YESTERDAY YOU KNOW.”

The other male blinked at him obviously taken aback, and for a moment, Karkat felt victorious. He was ready to continue his diatribe, and perhaps add in some visual cues in the form of a choice finger – perhaps even both fingers; the night was young, and Karkat had plenty of _fuck yous_ to pass around. One for you, one for you, and an extra for this purple douchelord right here for being such a raving shitsponge. 

Except said raving shitsponge was looking annoyed now, and his hand looked like it was itching for that obscenely huge gun again, and Karkat swallowed his moment of victory. Oh yeah. Highbloods are shithive maggots and this one happens to have an unarmed, runty little waste of a mutantblood at his mercy. _Great job, Past Karkat, you’ve achieved new and exciting levels of complete and utter idiocy. Beings across every universe known to troll-kind and a few that are not even in existence yet are currently shitting themselves in shame for your sake. Congratu-fucking-lations. You’ve taken the cake and rolled around in it like some pan-damaged wiggler raised by a herd of oink-beast as you discovered surprising new ways to fondle yourself in public._

“L-LOOK I’M JUST SAYING—“ 

“You can’t just showw evven a little bit a gratitude to the troll that savved your fuckin’ life, fine, but you’re not gonna just sit here and wwaste all the effort I put into it. Just get on the skyhorse and shut your trap before I throww you on and tie you dowwn myself.”

He stiffened and, despite the shouting in his thinkpan, nodded mutely and allowed himself to be helped onto the skyhorse. 

The ride was silent, and mostly uneventful, with Karkat _definitely not_ clinging onto the larger troll for dear life, because _holy shit I can’t swim what if he just throws me in,_ and the seadweller focused on talking to his lusus and watching the skies; the unexpected downtime (and need for somewhere to look that wasn’t _down_ ) left him with little to do but examine his capsavior? Savtor? _What the fuck am I supposed to call him? Master? That’d probably have him soaking through those douchelord pants—oh, fuck, ew, terrible mental image what the fuck._

New line of thought. He was purple blooded – Karkat had known that, but only now did he realize just how high up he was on the spectrum. Probably pretty close to that caligulasAquarium douche he’d trolled a few times, definitely higher than terminallyCapricious. So he was probably out of fucking think-pan. That wasn’t surprising at this point; he’d taken on a Culling Drone ( _and won_ ). So fighting him off was pretty much a non-option. Escape, then, but as they passed over miles and miles of open sea, that option seemed less and less likely. It’s not like he could hijack the seahorse-lusus and ride it off into the sunset, and he sure as hell couldn’t swim. Maybe if there was a boat or something…

_Past Karkat is such a nooksucking moron. Why_ why _would he just hop on a lusus with a suspected-shithive-maggots seadweller and just let himself be carried off like some complacent little baa-beast?! What was he thinking?! Can’t he see this is going to get us culled—or_ worse?! _Man, FUCK that guy up the nook with a rusty kitchen implement._

When they landed on the deck of a massive, destroyed ship, and Karkat had dismounted from the lusus, he was ushered inside and down some stairs. He tried to memorize the way, but it was difficult when he was so busy keeping an eye on the seadweller, watching out for _more_ seadwellers, trying to figure out what he _wanted_ ; the sheer suspense was starting to get to him, the adrenaline coursing through his veins was starting to wear him down, he was just so _tired_. He wanted to snap at his “host.” _WHAT DO YOU WANT? GET IT OVER WITH ALREADY!_

The purpleblood pushed open a door that led into a slightly cluttered… block, of some sort. When it was obvious that he was expected to go in first, the smaller troll stepped inside gingerly, keeping the other in his peripheral vision, waiting for any untoward movements. He spared the block with its bare furnishings a glance… and stopped.

Against the far wall a low concupiscent couch sat, trimmed gaudily in the purple of the hive-dweller’s blood and intertwined with golds. Karkat’s bloodpusher hammered in his chest, eyes shooting to the other in disbelief. He’d known the seadweller would want _something_ out of him, like a… a slave, or target practice, or a little mutant to dissect piece by piece and stow the bits in jars to show off to his highblood friends. Sexual favors had crossed his mind, but _I’m just a disgusting mutant and he’s a_ highblood _he could have anyone and I’ve never done this oh god oh god no please no—,_ “N-NO, I CAN’T—“

The Highblood laughed awkwardly, shrugging, “Sorry, I ain’t got anythin’ else set up on such short notice. It’s not been used or nothin’, don’t wworry. Just go lay dowwn for a bit, I’vve got some things to do for a wwhile.” He looked away briefly, scratching his fins, and added, “Can go back for your lusus and stuff later I guess. Wwouldn’t suggest running off too far or you’ll get yourself culled.”

_Because the cleanliness of the platform you’re going to… to fuck me on is what I was worried about._ Karkat swallowed, eyes still wide as he watched the seadweller shut the door and heard him walk away. _Oh god… oh god I’m stuck here! He’s going to cull my lusus and keep me here forever oh shit oh fuck I should have run while I was still on land or let the Drones cull me or something anything but this._ He moved unsteadily to a corner of the room, as far from the offending piece of furniture as he could get, and curled up to await the repercussions of every stupid thing he had ever done in his sorry excuse for a life.


	3. Chapter 3

The time alone had given Karkat much needed time to bolster his defenses – or at least patch them over, for the moment – so when his “gracious host” returned, he at least managed to not panic like a damaged wiggler. He even moved to sit on the concupiscent couch, albeit uneasily, his clenched hands belying his nervousness. _Just do what he says. Whatever he wants. If… It’s better than being culled. If he was going to cull me he would have already._

When the highblood returned, he looked briefly surprised, orange oculars widening at the sight and a hint of purple coloring his fins. Karkat looked down at his lap, hands nervously twining together in his lap. The larger male cleared his throat, “I- uh… did you wwant a bath? An’ you should probably cover up your—“ when Karkat peeked up, the other vaguely indicated his own chest; the mutantblood’s gaze fell to his own, staring dully at where he’d tied his shirt back together over the wound. Oh, yeah. Wouldn’t want to get this disgusting candy red blood all over everything. Mutely, he stood. 

He was again ushered through the old ship, though not far this time; only a few doors down, and he was let into an ablution chamber. It was bigger than the one Karkat had had at his own hive; the trap itself looked large enough for two trolls, deep enough that he could maybe swim a little if he knew how. What would a troll even do with a trap that big? Oh, right, seadweller. Guess that makes sense. He glanced back at the seadweller in question, unsure what was expected. _He said to take a bath. Should I just…_ The other male was rifling through a cabinet; Karkat gripped the hem of his shirt, hesitated, and then pulled it up and off in one smooth motion, like the standard Sexy Male Lead in nearly every rom-com he’d ever seen. He didn’t feel very sexy. Fiddling with the tear gave him reason to procrastinate from stripping further. _Maybe I can fix it… will he let me keep it?_

Almost on cue, the purple blood had gathered whatever he’d been looking for and, with one arm full of medical supplies, he eyed the candy red gash critically, snapping out impatiently, “C’mon, hurry up an get cleaned up. Don’t you know nothin’ about treatin’ wwounds? You don’t just wwrap it up an’ trap all the filth inside.”

Karkat dropped the shirt and, with only slightly shaking hands, went for the clasp on his pants, turning away in a fit of embarrassment. Almost as soon as his back was turned he heard footsteps; his hands froze, only relaxing when the door was shut and the footsteps receded. He rushed the rest of the way through stripping and got into the trap without adjusting the temperature first. It was cold for his tastes but he manipulated the knobs and brought the temperature up to at least lukewarm before huddling against the far side, sinking in up to his nose and allowing himself to relax, just for a little while. He kept an eye on the door as he went about cleaning away the dried blood first. 

The injury wasn’t even that serious. Deep and nearly as long as an outstretched hand, but not deep enough to do anything but bleed. Probably didn’t even need stitches. He was almost disappointed; ultimately such a minor injury for all the trouble it caused. All because he’d rebuffed some stupid troll’s black solicitation _(Maybe she wasn’t even flirting and was just an ass. Who do you think you are, Troll Brad Pitt, that trolls just hit on you left and right? You can’t just accept that someone is sickened by your face in a purely platonic way?)_ , she’d taken offense and attempted to agress, and Karkat – _being the bulgesucking scumlicker that is basically worthless on every level that ever existed; all of the levels, in fact_ – had had to keep his ass firmly planted on his high hoofbeast and let off one final remark as to the state of her quadrants that had ultimately driven her into a frothing ragefit. He’d actually held his own for a respectable amount of time, considering he was disarmed of his single sickle early on. Another point for his small stature – it did make him harder to hit. But dodging only got one so far, and in Karkat’s case, dodging had gotten him pressed to a wall by a pissed off low-green blood with a dagger slashing across his sign.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because some parts of this might not mesh with everyone's views of Karkat and so seem OOC, I just wanted to take a moment and explain my headcanon for him. I viewed him as being extremely shut in pre-Sgrub: which I believe he canonically was, but I mean to the point of literally never leaving the hive except for essentials. Which probably left him somewhat socially and romantically stunted (online interaction and movies can only get one so far). Also, as he would have really only had his lusus to spar against, I don't see him as a strong fighter -- ability, but little experience to back it up.


	4. Chapter 4

The door rattled and Karkat jumped, “You gonna spend all night in there, princess?”

Without thinking it through the mutantblood flashed his fangs in a sneer; good thing the door was still shut. He schooled his features back to a more neutral one and extracted himself carefully. He quickly located and wrapped the towel he found around his hips and another around his shoulders, wanting to be as far from naked as possible. 

The door creaked open a little, the highblood glancing inside cautiously before fully entering. His hand went to the towel around Karkat’s shoulders, tugging it clear of his chest even as the smaller troll gasped lightly and flinched away. But all he did was frown at the pink-tinted wound and mumble something about mutants and ‘wweird.’ Karkat snatched back the edge of the towel, covering himself as his cheeks flared a dusky pink. He was waved off dismissively, “I’vve got the bandages and stuff back in your block, an’ set up a ‘coon for you. Wwhenevver you’re done wwith your vvirgin maiden act I’ll patch you up.”

With a soft huff of indignation, the smaller troll clutched the edges of his towels as if they were in danger of being removed by the first stuff breeze to blow through and moved past his captor, pausing long enough to gather his discarded clothing before heading back toward “his” block. And true to the seadweller’s word, a disued-looking recuperacoon was set against a wall and various medical supplies scattered about the now sheet-covered concupiscent couch. _What, is he scared of it getting stained with mutant bl_ —his thought process stuttered to a stop, another hot blush rising to his face as the realization struck him. _Of course. It’s not like he’s filling a quadrant. No point in wasting a pail._

As if to make up for his balking, he stomped to the couch and planted himself on the very edge, dumping his clothing to the side for now (and kicking it underneath, mildly afraid it’d be taken away). The seadweller made an odd expression at him, but joined him, long-fingered hands picking up an ointment and a roll of bandaging. Karkat whipped the towel off his shoulders before he could think about it too much and worked on keeping his breathing even as the other troll treated him with gentle hands. The highblood was talking again, but Karkat wasn’t listening this time. He was far too focused on trying to remain calm and compliant and _not_ think about anything overmuch. 

Despite his resolution to not think, his mind continued to wander. He thought about how so very _pale_ this was and how twisted that was, he wondered how long it would last, when would the diarrhea-afflicted hoofbeast feces would hit the whirling device and paint the room and everyone in it in an unappealing shade of dripping brown. 

Eventually the seadweller would tire of just petting and fawning on his new pet troll, and he'd get bored, and a bored highblood is never good news for even a free lowblood, much less a captive mutant. So the question was how to keep him happy. The seadweller had so far only made direct demands after his requests for compliance had been ignored or refused. So being as complacent as a well tamed baabeast was a logical start to _Mission: Avoid the Culling Fork_. Was he just supposed to sit here like a doll and be fawned over then, or would the highblood get bored with that? The smaller troll's eyes flickered to where the bandages were being secured around his chest, watched the delicate-looking grey fingers smooth the material and then move to rest on his bare shoulder, thumb stroking over flesh that was maybe a shade lighter. It felt like a request, a silent demand for something, and Karkat did the only thing he could think of.

He leaned over and kissed the highblood.

It was graceless and terrible and done without any real thought behind it; the highblood didn't shove him away but didn't pull him closer either and Karkat just froze, unsure what to do, pulling back only the smallest bit. Isn't that what the highblood wanted? He'd left him in a concupiscent block, made him wash himself, sat with him on this fucking couch, it was pretty obvious what the ridiculously clothed douchebag asshole wanted, _why won't he just do it already and get it over with?_

And then the seadweller closed the gap between them again, and Karkat made a noise in the back of his throat, something between relief and panic, but he guessed that's what he was supposed to do because he was tugged closer by his shoulder, the hand flexing just slightly enough that clawtips tapped his flesh. He went willingly if only to keep those claws away and told himself it was to keep the lunatic happy. The seadweller's other hand came up, just barely brushing his grub scars, and Karkat buried his own claws in the towel still around his waist to keep himself from burying them in the larger male's throat. The thin-fingered hand on his shoulder moved to the mutant's throat -- making him tense -- and then higher, tangling in his hair and tilting his head to the desired angle. Karkat let out a low whine despite himself, _so fucking scared_ , even as some small traitorous part of his thinkpan whispered, _if you play along it won't hurt and he won't cull you. It’s not like you’ll ever get to pail anyone anyway._

He didn't know when he'd shut his eyes, but when the seadweller pulled away he panicked, eyes flying open and hand reaching to grab him, "NO, PLEASE--" his voice cracked, mind reeling as he tried to figure out what he'd done wrong. _was I supposed to touch him? Did I cut him? I wasn't kissing back! What's wrong no let me try again I'll do better please don't get angry don't cull me_

The seadweller was making a face that Karkat's panicked mind couldn't parse beyond the fact that he did not look pleased. The hand that had been in Karkat's hair touched his face and came away with a drop of pink, and the mutant hastily wiped his own face clean with an apology. _What the everpitying fuck is wrong with you he doesn't want to see your mutant fluids leaking from every orifice all over the fucking place_

"Kar." 

The first syllable of his name gave him pause -- _I don't remember giving him my name_. -- but he didn't stop from trying to dry his face, giving into using the discarded towel only because it already had spots of his disgusting mutant blood.

The seadweller was still talking though, asking what was wrong, and Karkat used the towel as a shield as he schooled his expression into a less derisive one before removing it, confident he had removed all trace of his freak heritage that could be removed. He leaned in again, this time planting a hand firmly on the larger troll's thigh, set on getting the worst part over with already. 

But the seadweller planted a hand on his chest and stopped him, fins flaring, and Karkat cowered with a low whine. _This is what you want why are you making it so difficult just do it already_ "please..."

The highblood faltered, looking lost, and that gave Karkat a flicker of hope, "Look, I get you're grateful an all but you don't havve to--"

A flicker of rage ignited the mutant's mind, _does he want me to fucking beg now too? Lay back and spread my legs like some pathetic bulgeslut? I won't, I can't, you can't make me._ and he grit his teeth, "JUST FUCKING GET IT OVER WITH ALREADY." He was shaking, but he attributed it to frustration, annoyance, fury; he couldn't _afford_ to be scared or he'd break. Not now.

The seadweller pushed him further away, standing swiftly to further distance himself, and moved hastily from the room with a parting, "I'll bring you somefin to eat later. Just get dressed an wwe’ll talk then."

And as the door shut, Karkat curled into himself, shaking and biting back curses at his own stupidity. _You're supposed to be keeping him happy so he doesn't cull you why would you go off yelling at him, oh right, because I'm Karkat Vantas, Emperor of Fucking Up Everything Ever. I probably deserve to be culled, it'd be quicker._

The recuperacoon beckoned, and he was just so _tired_ of all this musclebeast excrement, he didn't want to deal with the nookbiter a minute longer. Uncurling from his position he moved to the 'coon, scrambling up the side and dipping a hand in to be sure it actually contained sopor. It seemed legit enough; he quickly stripped off the towel, considered putting at least his boxers back on, and decided ultimately that he wasn't sure he'd get more clothes, so best to keep what he had clean.

Sinking into the sopor was, by far, the best feeling he had ever felt after a day like this.


	5. Chapter 5

Karkat woke to someone talking, and groggily dragged himself up to the lip of the recuperacoon, feet scrabbling for the ledge that he usually had to step on to reach the lip; he’d bought a larger ‘coon than he needed because he was waiting on a growth spurt that had yet to come. He didn’t find it and ended up clawing his way up instead, muttering obscenities under his breath. He was halfway out of the ‘coon when his sleep-muddled mind processed that something was off. 

And then he heard the voice again, “Get up an eat, I’m not gonna cook again later just cause you couldn’t be bothered to get up.”

He was on instant alert, head whipping toward the sound and a low growl already issuing from his throat. A seadweller--- _Shit shit it wasn’t some fucked up dream I’m still here what is that bulgelicker even doing here._ The seadweller stood by the door, hands held up in the universal “I come in peace” signal _as if I’d fall for that complete and utter shit_ and looking….. he wasn’t even looking. His fins were purple and he was just sort of… peering out of the corner of his eye.

“FUCK.” Karkat nearly dove back into the ‘coon, hiding his naked self inside it and glaring over the lip, _daring_ that pervert to make a smarmy comment.

The fucking highblood actually _laughed_. Karkat’s face flared a dusky red. 

Waving at some point near the ‘coon, the seadweller managed to say, “I brought you some clothes. Yours are trashed but I found some that’ll fit you for noww. Wwash up an find your owwn wway to the nutrition block.” And with that, he was gone, leaving the mutantblood to bathe and dress in peace. He remained in the sopor until he was positive that he was alone though.

Cautious, he finally slipped out and inspected the pile of clothes. A bunch of fancy seadweller clothes, _of course_. But it’s not like he had much else to wear – his jeans, the remains of his shirt, even his fucking _underwear_ had disappeared from the room while he slept. He tried very hard not to think about a strange troll handling his underwear and wrapped himself in a towel that was also laid out, then carefully gathered up the clothes and headed for the ablution trap, dripping sopor the whole way out of pure spite. (In the back of his mind he assured himself he’d wipe it up afterward.)


	6. Chapter 6

The nutrition block was fairly easy to find, though he was cautious about just wandering the hive (ship?) unattended. That’s… not really something trolls do to their captives, is it? Of course, Karkat was famished, and the smell of food was hard not to follow. He probably would have crawled through air vents and clawed through guard-barkbeasts to find the source. He couldn’t even recall when he’d last eaten, it seemed that long ago. Attempting to remember made him pause a moment though; how long had it been since he’d come here? He couldn’t recall seeing the outdoors, or even a window, since he’d first been walked in. Not even a timepiece, of course it’s not as if he’d spent much time outside the ablution chamber and his designated concupiscent block. His grasp of time had always been a little shaky, but without any visual clues he was lost, and he had no way of knowing how long he’d slept; it could be the same night he’d been brought, or the following one, or even the middle of the fucking day! 

Even as he pondered this, his body found its own way to the food, and he found himself in a surprisingly simple (but elegant – this _is_ the hive of a seadweller) nutrition block, with nothing more than a counter top, table, and basic appliances. The seadweller himself was seated at one end of the table, already eating; Karkat spied a nutrition plateau set out on the counter and made a beeline for it.

_Fish? Urgh, it’s still raw. Shit do seadwellers really eat raw stuff? I thought that was just a wiggler’s tale._ He glanced back at the taller male (who looked back blankly for a moment before returning to his food) and, yes, he was eating the stupid thing raw. Karkat looked back at the fish as if it would have changed into something else while his attention was elsewhere. Nope. _What the fuck. My_ lusus _eats raw fish_. He cast around again in hopes of finding a way to cook it, but didn’t see one immediately. Finally, he picked it up and carried it to the table (the end furthest from the seadweller) and sat to pick gingerly at it. _Will I get sick from this? No, that’s stupid, if he can eat it so can I… right?_

“…Is there somethin’ wwrong?” 

Karkat jumped, his eating utensil dropping to the plateau as he looked up quickly. The seadweller was studying him, glancing between him and the (barely touched, but well maimed) fish. And then his eyes widened, “Oh. Oh right, you landdwwellers cook your meat.” He grabbed the plate and moved off with it before Karkat even had time to flinch away. He was left to sit dumbly at the table, fingers twining into the edge of his borrowed shirt -- It was too long in the body and hung like a dress, the sleeves and his pant cuffs were rolled up, and the pants were just this side of too tight, clinging to his thighs and hips in a way that made him glad for the shirt’s length; in summary, he felt ridiculous. 

When he glanced up, the seadweller was staring again, this time more intensely. He looked down again.

“…what?” Karkat’s voice came out soft, quiet; it made him hate himself just that much more.

“So uh… how long you been a mutant? I mean, I… uh…” 

Karkat’s head shot up, incredulousness spread across his features; at least the seadweller looked properly ashamed of himself for the question. But that didn’t stop him from continuing, “Wwhat I mean is, you never told anyone. Kinda a surprise.”

“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCKING HELL, ARE YOU COMPLETELY PAN-ROTTED? DID YOU SPEND YOUR ENTIRE SCHOOLFEEDING INVENTING WAYS TO PAIL YOURSELF? IS THAT SPACE BETWEEN YOUR STUPID LOOKING FINS RESERVED FOR THE LAND OF HOT AIR AND WIND? WHY, **WHY** WOULD I FUCKING GO AROUND AND ANNOUNCE SOMETHING LIKE THAT? ‘OH, EXCUSE ME MR. DRONE, I WOULD MUCH ENJOY HAVING YOUR CULLING FORK HEATED TO A MELTING RED HOT AND SHOVED UP MY NOOK TO BE TWISTED AROUND A LITTLE BIT AND THEN IF YOU WOULD PLEASE TAKE MY MUTANT RED BLOOD AND PASS IT AMONG HER CONDESCE’S CAPTAINS SO THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO LUBE UP THEIR WASTE CHUTES WITH WHEN THEY BEND OVER AND GET RIDDEN BARKBEAST STYLE BY HER IMPERIOUS FUCKING CONDECENSION HERSELF, I’M SURE THE COLOR WILL COMPLEMENT HER ROYAL FUSHIA PERFECTLY.’” 

By the end of his rant, Karkat was breathing heavily and could feel a headache coming on; he cringed away, afraid of the repercussions for his words. The other male did not move to strike him or even look angry, he just stood wide eyed and shell shocked. After a moment of terse silence, the seadweller managed a quiet, shaky chuckle and turned to retrieve the now-cooked fish. 

“All right I guess you gotta point. Wwoww you really do gotta set a squawwk blisters on ya.” The fish was set before the mutantblood, whose cheeks flared a light red as he looked away quickly. He was just glad he hadn’t made the other troll mad with his outburst.

He ate quietly and quickly, the seadweller drifting out of the room and back in a short while later. Karkat tracked his movements as best he could, glancing up when something was set on the table; the purpleblood flipped open a husktop and started typing. The occasional ping of Trollian revealed he was chatting with someone. _Probably inviting his buddies over to see his new toy. Maybe he’ll just pass me around until one of them rips my throat out through my waste chute or something._ He was suddenly not hungry anymore. That would be the end of him he was sure. With a sharp shake of his head Karkat contrived to make himself useful; _this_ seadweller didn’t treat him too horrible so far _maybe if I’m useful he’ll protect me_. At that thought, he had to shake his head again. A good start was to clean, he supposed; Karkat picked up his own plateau and headed to the dish ablution, collecting the other plateau and a stray empty glass along the way. A bit of investigation uncovered a container of food scraps that he added the new ones to, and a few hand towels he chose from to wash the dishes. There were already several items waiting to be washed, and Karkat made a face at the dried-on krusty bits that littered a few of them. _Does this slob ever clean up after himself? Disgusting._


	7. Chapter 7

There was a cough from the table, followed by an almost hesitant, “So, that kissin’ before…” Karkat scrubbed harder at the nutrition plateau in his hand; this would be the cleanest fucking plateau that ever existed, angels would weep at its cleanliness—“Wwas that, I mean… somethin’ you’ve done before… “ another cough, a shuffle of clothing, and Karkat wondered at just snapping the plateau and culling himself with it, “To hide your bl- secret. You wwere kinda eager and it seemed sorta red at the time but--” Would a broken plateau be sharp enough to stab through his think pan or would he have to eviscerate himself? _Hmm, decisions._

The purpleblood had fallen quiet, waiting for a reply obviously. Karkat was still reflexively scrubbing, refusing to look up; this dish sure took a lot of concentration to wash, it was a shame he had none to spare. _So what, now he thinks I just whore myself out to keep it a secret? Does he seriously think that’d do me any good? If someone found out I’d already be dead – I’m_ supposed _to be dead, not your stupid pet._

A hand settled on his shoulder and another took the dish out of his hands. Karkat jerkily dried his hands on his pants and cautiously side-eyed the seadweller. The other had the gall to pretend to look concerned. _So this is the game. He gets to act like the good guy and I’m just the gutter rat the lusus dragged in. I’m supposed to just be_ grateful _to him for_ allowing _me to… service him however he wants. He didn’t want this shit last time, he stopped and ran off did he change his mind or something? Just make up your stupid mind already I can’t do this anymore._

The redblood turned to face the seadweller, raising a hand slightly. It wavered awkwardly in the air a moment before he planted it firmly on the other’s hip. He locked his gaze somewhere around the seadweller’s shoulder and hesitated, not sure where to go with the action. An arm slid around his own waist and pulled, leading him somewhere and taking the decision out of his hands.

The taller male’s voice had an odd emotion to it, almost like anxiety, but Karkat couldn’t really place his claw on it, “Just forget I said anyfin, I shouldn’t a brought it up. Here, come here, just sit dowwn a while.” He found himself maneuvered into the purpleblood’s abandoned seat in front of the still open husktop. The taller male leaned over him, an arm lying around the seated troll’s shoulders, and just as Karkat’s bloodpusher had settled into its new, much faster rythem, the seadweller simply logged out of Trollian and left him to do something with the dishes. It didn’t really sound like cleaning, but it got the smaller troll some space, so he didn’t question it.

Karkat spent several moments calming himself, and several more trying to puzzle out what was going on. He glanced to the other troll. _He left me here like I’m supposed to do something with this. He didn’t say I couldn’t use it. But he didn’t say I could either. What if it’s a trick? He’s just going to make me sit here until I log in and then he’ll…. He’ll… do_ something, _I don’t know what. Maybe he’s testing to see if I’ll try and get help?_ His gaze shifted back to the screen _But I… I just wish I could… I miss everyone… I’d even talk to that insufferable caligulasAquarium guy or put up with terminallyCapricious’s quirk or listen to Sollux carry on about how much hoofbeast bulge I suck, anything._

He kept his movements slow and silent, checking constantly to be sure he wasn’t being watched, as he logged into his own account. Nearly every entry in his chumproll was lit up, and as he scanned it, a message popped up.

\-- twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] \--  
  
TA: KK!  
TA: are you all riight?  
TA: TV and ii are at your hiive iit2 a me22  
TA: your lu2u2 iis here TV had two calm hiim down before we could even get clo2e

Karkat covered his mouth and ducked his head a little, muffling the noise he felt in his throat. He wasn’t entirely sure if he was relieved ( _they actually came looking; Crabdad’s all right_ ), hurt ( _Why couldn’t they show up earlier?_ ) or just outright upset ( _I’ll never see them again, what does it matter_ ), but he didn’t want to make a scene with the seadweller so close by still. He wasn’t entirely sure how Sollux or Tavros (probably Sollux, though) had figured out where his hive was; the only time he’d actually _seen_ the yellow blood was that one stupid video chat he’d forced ( _stupid show off hacker_ ), and after that there was no reason not to, so sure, they’d video chatted a few times. _But I was so careful what else does he know how did he figure out where my hive is_ and after a few moments of panicked thought as he blearily watched the yellow text piling up on his screen, the thought crossed his mind that _I could ask for help Sollux could get me away from this purple douchebag_ followed closely thereafter by the defeated _who am I kidding this frou-frou fin-face took on a fucking Imperial Drone, he’d just take Sollux out like it was nothing and then get mad and who knows what he’d do if I tried to escape oh god. No I can’t tell him I can’t I can’t Sollux, please, help I can’t_

CG: I CAN’T

Before he’d fully realized that he’d typed anything, much less seen if Sollux had even responded, the husktop snapped shut, the seadweller’s delicate hand planted in the center of it. Karkat jerked violently, bolting to his feet as words spilled from his mouth without his own consent, “I’M SO FUCKING SORRY, I WASN’T GOING TO SAY ANYTHING I SWEAR I WAS JUST—I DIDN’T—“

The words died in his throat, and the taller male just continued to stare at him, expression unreadable. Slowly, _slowly_ , as if stalking an injured animal, he stepped closer, a hand rising slightly. Karat cringed away _what are you doing don’t come closer don’t cull me please please._ The hand touched his cheek and he bit the inside of his cheek, forcing his body to not flinch away; watching the seadweller, he merely stood passive as a track of pink was wiped away. Shamefully, he realized his eyes were leaking _again. Why do I keep_ doing _that, oh my god, stopitstopitstopit Stop. Fucking. Crying. you idiotic wiggler you deserve whatever he does don’t make it worse by bawling!_

“Wwhat’s wwrong? Wwhat did that pissblood say to you?” The voice was gentle, concerned. Karkat wasn’t convinced; he accepted the small comfort regardless.

“N-Nothing.” His voice came out small, quieter than his usual volume level, “I just—“ _I want to go home. I miss Dad. I miss Sollux and everyone and--_ “…I don’t know.”

The hand was still on his face, thumb gently stroking over his cheekbone now. The seadweller frowned slightly and took his hand back, turning to the husktop, “I wwon’t let that stupid pissblood bother you anymore.” And he left off muttering a few insults to himself. Karkat was left standing awkwardly, watching as the husktop was gathered up and returned to where it belonged.


	8. Chapter 8

The seadweller was gone longer than Karkat expected him to be. Desperate for something to do other than sit idle and allow his mind to wander, he moved about the nutrition block, wiping down the table, investigating the thermal hull (where he was relieved to find more than just fish), paused a few times to peer out the door and consider returning to his designated quarters, finished the dishes – he did everything he could think of until he was out of ideas and just sat back down and picked at threads on the too-big shirt. 

When finally the seadweller returned, he was almost relieved if only because he might be given a task or told to go back to his block. The mutant’s relief was short-lived; when he looked up, he found the seadweller looking annoyed and upset. Karkat got to his feet and took a step backwards to run into the table’s edge, then just froze, cringing in anticipation of the famous seadweller rage. _Shit what’s wrong what did I do I shouldn’t have used his husktop at all Why is past Karkat such a grubfisted moron that has to just do whatever and fuck everything up for me every time?_

The taller male looked about the room a moment before his oculars settled on the mutant and paused, expression mingling with confusion as he mumbled, “You’re still in here?”

“I—“ the words died on his lips, _what the hell does he want? Was I supposed to go somewhere else? I didn’t know He didn’t say_

The seadweller began advancing on him, and Karkat choked on air, pressing harder back against the table as if he could escape through it.

“Hey, it’s all right, I’m not gonna hurt you. Shhh, calm dowwn.” 

The redblood swallowed and didn’t respond. The approaching troll’s expression shifted again to something pinched and unhappy.

A cool hand touched Karkat’s cheek and he flinched. _When did he get so close? Pay attention you idiot stop freaking out and pay attention!_ The hand was cradling his face gently, and the body attached to it seemed to be drawing nearer. Every instinct Karkat had and possibly a few that he had only just discovered screamed to _run get away escape get him off no no don’t stop_ until he was pressed firmly between the larger troll’s bulk and the table. The as-of-yet unaccounted for hand found its way around the mutant’s waist. The seadweller was saying something softly enough that Karkat couldn’t hear it over his personal anthem of _no you have to get away push him off do SOMETHING,_ and then there was a bare brush of lips on his own. 

Karkat was sure his bloodpusher stopped pumping, and it had nothing to do with romance or overwhelming pity. 

The seadweller seemed to take no notice; he moved on to press a bare kiss to his captive’s cheek, his hand still resting firmly on the opposite cheek. The next kiss was just below his ear, and in the silence of his mind left by shock he was finally able to hear the seadweller’s ramblings.

“ARE YOU **SHOOSHING** ME?!”

The purpleblood tensed, and Karkat shrunk in on himself. _What the fuck just shut up haven’t you learned your lesson yet why do you have to keep opening your mouth?_

There was a soft exhalation against his neck as the other murmured, “You looked so pitiful and scared I… I couldn’t help myself.”

 _This is not how you net a pale quadrant you complete and utter douchemonger, what are you even doing? Are you that fucking desperate?_ “I…” _What the hell am I supposed to say? ‘yes, please, take me as your pale whore forever and ever til you cull me do us part’_ “I HAVE A PALEMATE.” _What the fuck no you don’t what are you saying, what if he wants to go cull this mythical palemate of yours now so he can have you on the rebound or some fucked up shit couldn’t you think of anything better to say? No, of course not, because you, Karkat Vantas, are the most moronic wiggler to ever squirm its way out of the mother grub’s undulating, festering asshole and should have been left there to rot._

The seadweller pulled back to stare his captive in the face, then chuckled; the sound vibrated through his chest and made Karkat shiver. Without further comment the purpleblood pulled back , “You ovver your little panic attack noww or should I call your ‘palemate’?”

_Shit he knows I’m lying now what—_

“Come on, I’ll put in a movvie an wwe can wwait for our vvisitors.”

“…VISITORS.”

“Just some friends. I _told_ then you wwere in too delicate a position to be seein’ a bunch a trolls but they insisted.” He shrugged and waved vaguely for him to follow, “You knoww howw it is. Don’t wworry, I won’t glub about your blood to any a them.”

Karkat dragged his feet along behind him, only moving fast enough to make it seem he wasn’t disobeying, but kept his gaze fixed on the seadweller’s heels, working on keeping his breathing calm. _He won’t have to_ say _anything, I bet a bunch of seadwellers won’t have any problem figuring it out on their own._


	9. Chapter 9

The recreation block, like the nutrition block, was simple, but would never be mistaken for a lowblood’s block. The entertainment system alone was much nicer than he had had at his own hive, and was bordered by shelves upon shelves of moviegrubs. 

Karkat was waved in the direction of the couch and summarily dismissed as the seadweller went to pick through his movies. The mutant perched himself at one end and focused his attention on his hands, clasped together in his lap, until the purpleblood flopped gracelessly onto the couch beside him, remote in hand. An arm draped around the smaller troll’s shoulders and the seadweller told him, “You might like this one.” Karkat hunkered down and put all his attention into the previews. 

It only took him a few previews to decide that the movie itself was probably a historical or militaristic movie of some sort; all the advertised ones seemed to follow that line. And so he was entirely unsurprised when the title screen finally came up: 

WHEREIN A SQUAD OF THRESHCUTIONERS ARE SENT TO RAID AN AIRBASE WHERE SEVERAL TROLLS ARE BEING HELD PRISONER FOR VARIOUS CRIMES; A VIOLETBLOOD FREES A GREENBLOODED PRISONER AND SMUGGLES HIM BACK TO THE HOME PLANET; CONTAINS 25 ON-SCREEN EXPLOSIONS; THREE SCENES THAT MAY BE CONTRUSED AS HUMOROUS; TEN ON-SCREEN DECAPITATIONS; AND TWO MENTIONS OF PAILS

Karkat could only raise an eyebrow and look at the seadweller from the corner of his eye. _Really. A rescue flick. Cute._

The movie was, quite frankly, not up to Karkat’s standards. For one, the titular greenblood, Lattis, was _obviously_ pale for the Tealblood in the cell beside his, and they had a perfect opportunity to play up Lattis’ pain at losing his palemate, but it was never brought up again! One doesn’t just completely forget to mourn the loss of such an obviously deep pale-lover that’s been brutally culled right before you (and then fall in pity with the one that culled her, no less)! Also, that violetblood, Spiros, and his kismesis definitely need to Ash up before they outright murder each other, because overpowering an already badly injured kismesis and having your way with them was _not okay_ in anything resembling a healthy kismesitude! _oh my god whoever wrote this movie has never had a quadrant filled in his life has he?!_

It was nearing the end of the movie and the greenblood and violetblood were proposing their undying pity for each other -- _what a load of hoofbeast shit that Spiros is not good for you at all Lattis you just need to run as far in the opposite direction as you can did you even_ see _how he treats his palemate?!_ – when the buzzing of drones flying overhead sent Karkat’s bloodpusher racing again. 

Until he realized that it was louder and not quite the same, and sporadically stopped to be replaced by pounding on a door somewhere in the hive. _What kind of grubsucking moron has an alarm that sounds like Imperial Drones oh my god._

“They’re here.” The seadweller was looking at his personal communication device in irritation; apparently his friends were impatient. “They act like I’vve got you locked in the brig, geez.”

He wasn’t really sure what was meant by that, but the mutant knew he had one last chance to save himself from being picked apart by a swarm of batshit crazy seadwellers. He latched onto the purpleblood’s cape and looked him in the eye pleadingly, “DON’T LET THEM IN, PLEASE, I DON’T WANT TO SEE ANYONE ELSE, LET’S JUST WATCH ANOTHER MOVIE, PLEASE? I JUST… I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU, OK?” _Don’t let them hurt me_

The seadweller paused in his trek to the door, his look of irritation gentling as he threaded a hand through his captive’s hair. The mutant ducked, hiding behind his bangs. “You knoww they wwon’t go awway. But its fine if you’re that scared just go to your block an I’ll figure somethin out. Come out wwhenevver you feel up to it.”

Karkat nodded and thanked him (even added a ‘sir’ for good measure, he was that grateful) before scurrying off to his designated space. 

After a pause the pounding and buzzing stopped, and he could hear loud voices echoing through the hive, but not loud enough for him to make out clearly. He dragged the blankets and pillows off the concupiscent couch and burrowed himself into them in a corner, watching the door as if they would burst in at any time. And they could. Maybe the seadweller just let him go and he’d bring his friends here; maybe they’d just hunt him down on their own. He cast helplessly about the room for something that could be used as a weapon, perhaps, anything to make himself feel more secure, and vaguely recalled a decorative set of swords in the hallway between his block and the ablution chamber. _Maybe… if I’m quick…_

He untangled himself from his impromptu pile and darted to the door, peering cautiously into the hallway. He could still hear their raised voices, but they didn’t seem to have gotten any closer. Moving as quietly as he could (he’d never been one for stealth), he located the swords and had to stretch to reach, but managed to pull one down; the other one came with it, clattering to the floor, and his hand shot out to grab it as if he could undo the sound. The shouting seemed to have paused. Both swords in hand _I’ve never even used a fucking sword_ the mutant bolted back to ‘his’ room, shut the door, and all but dove into his cover of blankets. His knuckles were nearly white with the grip he had on the weapon.

He couldn’t hear anything. The group had fallen silent – were they coming? _I can’t hear them where are they what’s happening._

Somewhere down the hall, he heard a sort of… scraping, tapping sound. A low animalistic sort of noise that he couldn’t make out. Something banged on a door and he heard it rebound off the wall, echoed by a hiss. Karkat’s bloodpusher pounded against his ribs so hard he was sure that _whatever_ was out there could hear him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Super late Christmas update! (Shoosh I know it's kinda short shoooosh) And it's even a sort-of feel good one! (Merry 12th Perigree's Eve, Karkles?)

“What do you _mean_ he doethn’t want to thee us?”

Eridan growled low in his throat at the yellowblood standing in his recreation block, “Probably doesn’t wwant to see _you_ , pissblood. Wwhat the hell did you say to him? One minute he’s talkin to you an the next he’s sobbin all over the place and apologizin!” Sollux’s eyes narrowed, his psionics crackling around his horns, but Eridan pushed on, “Wwhen he heard you putting up such a fuss at the door he about he wwas panickin all over again! Wwas all I could do to calm him down an send him off to his room, an he calmed right dowwn wwhen I said he wwouldn’t hafta see you. I fuckin _told_ you, Kar’s real delicate right noww, an I don’t need you stompin in and ruinin all the progress I’vve made!”

“Eridan! Sollux! Carp down right now!” Feferi’s commanding voice broke into their banter, and both turned to look at her in unison. She glared at each in turn, “Now I’m shore all of us are reel worried about Karkat but we need to figure out what made the drones go after him. Have you found anything out about that, Eridan?” At the other seadweller’s negative response, she sighed.

There was a moment where no one spoke, and then Tavros looked up from his personal communication device, “Uh… Kanaya wants to, um, know… if he’s hurt. She could come here, um, to help treat him, if that’s all right, that is…”

“It wwasn’t anythin I couldn’t handle, just a scrape.” Eridan waved dismissively, “He’s just fine, just upset – an if you evven think about stormin in on him—“

Feferi’s sharp look cut him off, “We’re not here to scare the little guppy, Eridan, so clam down. But I bet all this glubbing at the top of our gills has got him all upset, so let’s just head out for tonight, and we can come back tomorrow. And –oh! – we could troll him tonight after he’s all calmed down!” Once again cheerful, she clapped her hands and turned to Tavros, “See if you and Sollux can stay with Gamzee today! His hive is nearby!” With a nod the brownblood went back to his communication device, and Feferi turned to Eridan again, “The faster we figure out what happened, the faster we can get the drones to stop looking for him! So just remind him that we’re his fronds, and he doesn’t have to be scared!”

Eridan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, glancing in the direction of Karkat’s quarters.

~

When the door to ‘his’ block swung open (more like, was half-smashed open), Karkat huddled deeper into his pile, shutting his eyes tightly. The click-scrape-shuffle paused in the entryway and snuffled. _That’s not a troll. What the fuck did he let in some kind of animal?_ Cautious, he cracked his eyes open, shifting his head just enough so he could peer from under his coverings. Nearly in the same heartbeat as he laid eyes on the beast was he out of his pile, swords forgotten and fingers gripping desperately at the white carapace of his lusus. Crabdad smelled different – like seawater and, ever so faintly, other trolls – but with his face pressed into the plating Karkat could make out the familiar scent of his lusus and nearly sobbed in relief. 

“Dad--! How the fuck are you even here, I want to go home, just take me home-“ 

The lusus shifted, a large pincer resting against his charge’s back as he made gentle reassuring noises he hadn’t made since his troll had only been a tiny wiggler. Karkat babbled on in between hitched breaths and grub noises that he’d deny being able to even make anymore if anyone were to ask. Crabdad curled protectively around his little redblood and remained there until the stream of words gradually died down into quiet sniffles and a low, broken buzz-purr. Lifting him into the air, the lusus bumped the door shut and moved to the pile, keeping himself curled around the small troll like a protective covering and an eye on the entrance.


	11. Chapter 11

Karkat couldn’t remember falling asleep. And for a brief moment he woke in confusion, pressed in from all sides by his lusus’ white carapace. He could hear Crabdad hissing and snapping, another troll talking in hushed tones, and a weird squeaking; when he put a hand to the pincer that covered his head, the pincer refused to budge and a low hiss of _‘no stay danger’_ was directed at him. Of course, that only panicked the trapped mutantblood more, and he shifted around until he could peer into the space between his lusus’ abdomen and pincer; a glimpse showed the seadweller and his own Skyhorse lusus in the entryway to the block, with the purpleblood holding his lusus from getting into the room despite it’s obvious agitation. 

He debated staying where he was – _Dad will get rid of them, and we can leave, we can go home_ – but he knew that wasn’t likely. The seadweller would get angry, and if Crabdad attacked—Karkat shoved at his lusus until he could at least sit up, one hand half clinging half petting the white plating. Crabdad turned his attention on his charge, admonishing him for not staying down, but a short muttered argument had him calmer, at least, and Karkat turned his attention on the ‘intruders.’

“…WHY DID YOU BRING HIM HERE?”

The seadweller was similarly working on calming his Skyhorse, but glanced over at the words, nose crumpled in… disgust, annoyance, confusion, Karkat wasn’t sure, “He’s your lusus.”

The mutant’s claws gripped tighter at the white carapace under his hand, almost afraid to question further, “YOU SAID… YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO CULL HIM.” His breath caught in his throat, eyes widening as a realization struck him, “YOU CAN’T—PLEASE PLEASE NO, I’LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, DON’T TAKE HIM AWAY AGAIN, YOU CAN’T—“ Crabdad was trying to curl around him again, alternating between comforting clicks to his charge and threatening hisses at the one frightening him. Karkat almost absentmindedly papped and pawed at the pincers, refusing to be comforted.

The renewed hissing brought more squeaking from the Skyhorse, and the seadweller had to turn away again to keep his lusus from just charging into the room. He managed to snap out, “Wwhat the fuck are you evven talkin about, stop babbling nonsense.” It took a few moments for them to both reassure their respective lusii that there wasn’t any (immediate) danger, and the seadweller ended up somehow convincing his lusus to float off to somewhere else (the string of squeaking that echoed after it conveyed that it was not at all pleased about this). Crabdad calmed considerably, though still refused to uncurl from his charge; Karkat was just fine with this. 

The purpleblood glanced after his lusus, to Crabdad, and then to Karkat with a snort of disgust, “I’m not gonna cull your lusus, wwhat kinda troll do you take me for?” The mutantblood wisely kept his response on that matter to himself. Depositing a sack on the floor, the seadweller gave him a strange look and shook his head, “Here, got you somethin. Get up an wwashed, an meet me in the recreation block wwhen you’re done.”

The door shut behind him and there was a breathe of silence wherein Karkat just listened to his footsteps trail away down the hall. After a few moments Crabdad uncurled himself (and gently peeled off his charge) to investigate the sack that had been left. After a couple pokes and questioning skrees he hooked a loop in his pincer and brought it closer to the mutantblood’s pile, dropping it to spill across the floor. Karkat reached for his lusus instead, but the guardian just shook him off and nudged the bag with a foot. Defeated, _but at least dad’s still here, he won’t take him away,_ he looked to the contents of the bag. A few of his own clothes, some half-used bottles of ablutions, a box of roe cubes, and he was pretty sure that looked like a jar of his favorite grubsauce… A thought struck him and made him want to burrow into his pile and not come out: _They were in my fucking hive. They went through all my stuff and did who knows what to anything they didn’t bring back. What if they just stole a bunch of it? You grubfisted moron what do you even have that a seadweller would want, they probably just…. Just burnt it to the ground… or something. Right._ He felt moisture gather at the corners of his eyes and tried to blink it away angrily, _Don’t even start, what the fuck does it matter, you knew you weren’t going back there anyway! Even if – by some insane miracle that not even that panrotted clown could dream up – you get out of here, it’d just be stupid to go back to your hive that’d be the first place he’d look---- SOLLUX SAID HE WAS AT MY HIVE. Oh god what if—what if he was still there? Even he can’t take on a whole horde of seadwellers, what if they culled him—_

He barely even realized he’d been whimpering until Crabdad was curled around him again, making confused, concerned noises at him. Karkat buried his face in his guardian’s chestplates and muttered apologies, “I’m sorry, this is all my fucking fault, I didn’t mean to, why couldn’t he just fucking stay away—“


	12. Chapter 12

Whatever the payment for having his lusus back unharmed (he’d checked, thoroughly; not a scratch on him) and some of his own things, Karkat was sure his guardian didn’t need to be present for it. Once he had done his ablutions and dressed himself, he begged and pleaded and ended up in a short strife that nearly made him tear up at the sheer familiarity of it, and managed to convince Crabdad to _stay in this block, don’t come out, don’t come looking for me, I’m not a wiggler anymore, I’ll come back, I promise._ But even with all that said and done it was still hard to leave him again, and he had to resist the urge to cling onto his lusus and wait for the seadweller to drag him out.

With the closed door of his block at his back, Karkat spent a few moments composing himself before he marched to the recreation block. The fact that his seadweller “host” had barely asked a thing of him, and yet continued to do him favor after favor, was grating on his nerves. The purpleblood hadn’t so much as raised a hand to him in anything other than a calming gesture, he’d hinted at wanting something sexual but he hadn’t _taken_ ; sure he’d gotten angry a few times, but he was generally nothing short of patient and… some weird form of _caring_. 

Karkat decided it was some kind of grooming process: the seadweller would be gentle with him, get him to relax and feel at ease and trusting, and then one day he’d start taking things away, hurting him, making demands that the mutant didn’t want to comply with but was _forced_ to or else he would be hurt _worse_. He slowed his pace, swallowing nervously; he wouldn’t— _couldn’t_ let it come to that. Maybe… _Maybe if I just… I have to stay alert. If he doesn’t get under my skin he can’t hurt me._ He glanced back towards his block, where Crabdad was tucked away, and snorted to himself, _Fuck… he already has. I’ll just… I’ll deal with it. For dad. And Sollux. It’s my fault anyway, I’m the one that fucked up, so I just have to… to do whatever he wants and no one else will have to get hurt._

When he reached the recreation block, the seadweller was tapping away at his husktop again. Beside him, Karkat’s own purple husktop sat out, the top flipped open; it was faced away, so he couldn’t tell if it was on or not, but why else would it be open?

At his entrance, the purpleblood glanced up long enough to wave him in, “Get ovver here, wwe’ve got this memo going you oughta get in on.” When the smaller troll didn’t move from the threshold, he looked up again and raised an eyebrow.

“WHAT— I—WHY?” _Great job on giving in you bulgesucking moron all he’s asking is to get on and chat with some seadwellers how bad can it be?_

The seadweller’s husktop pinged a couple times, the sound drawing him back to type a bit in agitation; they must be getting annoyed. _What are they even getting out of this?_ A scoff interrupted his thoughts, “Yeah, I wwouldn’t really talk to these stupid lowwbloods either, but they’re pretty insistent they talk to you, especially that filthy mustardblood—“ he leaned on the armrest and _leered_ , “You an him, there somethin black there? I just wwanna punch his stupid lispin face in sometimes, he’s such an _infuriatin_ little shit—“

_Mustar—Sollux? He’s talking to Sollux? What- Why is he talking to them what did he tell them_

“Some a them are stayin’ at Gamzee’s hive. I wwas thinkin’ a lettin a couple a them here, if you could just stop freakin out at everythin-“

_Why does he know so much what’s going on? No don’t bring them here, don’t hurt them, leave them alone they didn’t do anything—_ “NO!”

The seadweller’s jaw clicked shut, startled at Karkat’s outburst. The mutantblood finally moved towards him, settling on his knees in the space between the couch and table. His fingers closed on the fabric of the seadweller’s pants as he pleaded, “No, don’t bring them here, I’ll do whatever you want, please—“

A cool hand landed on his head, fingers weaving through his damp hair and slipping against a horn. Karkat fought the urge to flinch away, instead forcing himself to tilt into the touch and shutting his eyes tight. 

“Wwhy? They’re comin tomorrow either wway, Kar, they’re real wworried about you.” The seadweller paused and added, hesitantly, “If you’vve got your spade set on Sol I’ll leave him be. I ain’t the kinda troll to movve on another troll’s quadrants, you knoww.”

“I- YES. HE’S MY KISMESIS SO-“ _Just leave him alone, leave them all alone, if it’ll keep you away they’re all my kismesis or something I don’t care_

The royalblood’s eyebrows raised, and then he just grinned, “Wwell, wwell, I didn’t think you had any a your corners spoken for. Shouldn’t a been surprised though, wwith you bein’ a master a romance an evverythin. Any other quadrants? Anythin more… red?” the grin increased as the redblood froze in place, “You’re pretty pitiful, you know, wwith your blood an all that shoutin covverin up this cute little troll you are. I bet you got suitors linin up at your hivve just flushin pretty bad for you.”

_Oh my fuck is he—he’s hitting on me. He sounds like a cheesy romcom!_ Karkat briefly ducked his head in hopes of covering the heat that rushed to his face _I’m going to die of second hand embarrassment that was just so corny I can’t believe it. No one actually says hoofbeast crap like that in real life. Shit he asked a question didn’t he. I pretty much have to say no, if I said yes he’d just want to go cull them I doubt he’s gonna share I was lucky to get away with lying about having a palemate—_

“N-no, I… there’s no one.” His voice didn’t come out as shaky as he thought it would; he was proud of himself for that much. But he still didn’t look up.

The seadweller returned to stroking his hair, and the mutant was certain he could _hear_ the malicious glee in his voice when he chirped, “Really? Wwell, if that’s the case, maybe you an I could wwork somethin out. I mean, landwwellers aren’t usually my thing but you could be a special case or somethin. Wwhat do you say?” 

“I- um-“ He looked up slowly, hands clenching and unclenching in the fabric he was still gripping. His voice wavered and he stopped, licking his lips. _I can’t say it don’t make me say it_

“Just think about it.” With a final pat on the head the seadweller turned away from him, humming tunelessly as he returned to his husktop. Shaking slightly, Karkat moved away from the taller troll, tucking himself into the corner between the side of the couch and the wall. To _‘think about it.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random fact: I attempted to make a shipping grid for this, but it turned into a huge mess of "well X and X are sort of this but also sort of this and NOTHING'S OFFICIAL BUT; and also there's these two but it's really seriously just X pining a lot" and was eventually forced to just give up and wonder why I tried in the first place. xD
> 
> Another random fact: Karkat's switching between ALL CAPS and normal syntax is on purpose. Just imagine the ALL CAPS is his usual tone of voice (which, I picture him as being pretty loud. I mean, Meenah calls him Shouty, after all.) and the regular syntax is a more normal tone of voice. >.>


	13. Chapter 13

Karkat had spent the whole night cleaning and fetching things and had cooked the meals and was just generally so _domestic_ that Eridan was a little baffled. But it wasn’t like he’d really spent much (any) time with the shouty troll, maybe this was just his normal. Either way, he wasn’t going to complain—he may not have been like that sweaty blueblood that got off on rank and order, but having the low(mutant)blood so grateful for being rescued that he went about waiting on his highblood rescuer just seemed… almost _right_ , just a little.

But on the other hand… it was becoming more and more obvious that Kar seemed to think he was indebted, and that that made all this service a requirement. And Eridan may enjoy being pampered, but he had _some_ sensibility, and forcing a troll into servitude like that just wasn’t something he was okay with.

But outright telling him _‘you don’t havve to’_ hadn’t worked, and all his other attempts had just made the smaller troll more upset; he just wasn’t sure what else to do about it. So, much as he hated to admit it, Eridan was hoping that Sol or Fef would be able to straighten him out. 

He’d let the little mutantblood stay hidden in his block with his lusus and the pilfered swords half-hidden in his pile. It seemed like a good way to keep him calmed down, at least for the moment.

It was just Sollux and Feferi this time; he led them into the recreation block, dodging their questions for the moment until he could get them set down. He’d bring Kar in once they’d settled in, anything to hold off what he assumed was an inevitable panic attack. Whatever the problem was, it needed to get fixed; Eridan was pretty sure his bloodpusher was going to burst with pity if this kept up much longer. Besides that, Fef wasn’t going to let them put this off another day, and Sol was threatening to blow a hole right through Eridan’s head if he kept Kar ‘hidden away’ any longer. _Not that I’m scared a the ugly pissblood, but there’s no reason to be scarin Kar by fightin_

“Just sit dowwn an shut up already, mustardblood, I’ll call him in in a bit. He wwas all upset about seein you, you know; wwhat the hell do you do to him?”

Sollux’s eyebrow shot up as he (reluctantly) settled himself onto the couch, “What do you mean, ‘what do I do to him’? I haven’t even talked to him thith time.” 

Eridan sneered, “Wwhat kinda equal rivvalry could the two a you havve anywway? You’re alwways abusing those stupid powwers a yours, an he doesn’t evven havve a chance against them!” He turned away, heading towards the door and shooting back over his shoulder, “I bet you ain’t evven pailed him.”

The lack of a scathing response made the seadweller pause at the doorway and look back. Sollux’s face was flushed yellow and his mouth was moving, but his voice seemed to escape him. So pissed off he was speechless, certainly. Feferi just looked somewhere between scandalized and confused. With a smirk, Eridan twirled around and strutted out of the room, his cape waving regally behind him.

The seadweller paused to rap his knuckles against the door before he pushed it open, peering into Karkat’s block. The smaller troll stopped pacing, turning to look at him with big eyes. His lusus, crouched near the pile, began hissing quietly, but didn’t react otherwise. He was pretty sure he could see the nervous energy coming off the little mutantblood in waves, and his bloodpusher throbbed. Stepping inside gingerly (keeping an eye on the crab lusus), Eridan approached his charge, gently fussing over him for several long moments, stalling for time and hoping to put him at ease. Eventually it became obvious that his tactics weren’t calming the smaller troll at all, and he just stepped back with a sigh, “Let’s go then.”

Karkat followed him willingly enough. He didn’t say much, but he seemed mostly all right once you got past the nervousness; not at all seeming as if he’d break down into a panic attack or anything. 

“Oh! Karcrab!” Feferi’s exclamation as they returned drew Karkat’s attention to where she was turned around, looking over the back of the couch, and Eridan watched his shoulders tense, eyes shooting between the two seadwellers. That seemed reasonable enough a response to meeting the would-be-Empress, he supposed; especially for a mutantblood.

And then Sollux stood up from beside her, turning to face them; he shot Eridan a short glare and turned to Karkat with a more… curious look. The redblood sucked in a breath, frowning briefly at the purpleblood. Eridan just shrugged at him.

“You’re even thhorter in perthon.” The yellowblood snickered lightly. Karkat’s attention turned back on him and, after another glance at the purpleblood, made a beeline for the psionic. Sollux wasn’t the only one that looked confused when the redblood hugged him tight, face buried in his thin chest. Tentatively, the psionic raised a hand, letting it hover over the other troll’s back, “Geeth, KK, thince when are you thuch a wiggler? Come on, what’th the problem, wath ED really that much of an ath to you or what?”

Karkat pulled back far enough to scowl at the yellowblood, then Eridan, then back. With a huff, he grabbed onto Sollux’s hand and went to lead him out of the room. The mutantblood paused at the door, shooting a nervous glance towards the purpleblood. 

Eridan blinked slowly from one lowblood to the other, then snorted, “Don’t wworry, I wwon’t interrupt anythin.” 

Karkat’s face lit up and he turned away with a sharp, “COME ON!”, dragging Sollux from the room.

The two seadwellers glanced at each other, Feferi looking mildly uncomfortable, “Eridan… what’s going on?”

“Did you know they’re in spades?”

Her eyes widened, a hand coming to her mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Show of hands, who expected me to do an Eridan POV?  
> Because I sure as hell didn't.  
> Did I at least convey him ok? o.o


	14. Chapter 14

“IS YOUR PAN COMPLETELY FRIED OR ARE YOU JUST NATURALLY THIS DENSE?” Karkat nearly slammed the door to his block, swinging around to glare down the yellowblood, “I KNOW YOU PROBABLY SPEND ALL YOUR TIME IMAGINING THAT YOU’RE SOME APESHIT BANANAS HACKER PRO AND STROKING YOUR BULGE TO YOUR IMAGINARY PROWESS BUT TRY TO DRAG YOUR GRASPING APPENDAGE OUT OF YOUR PANTS AND PRETEND YOU’RE NOT THE BIGGEST SOCIAL REJECT TROLLKIND HAS EVER KNOWN. DO YOU OFTEN JUST TRAIPSE INTO THE HIVE OF ANY SEADWELLER THAT INVITES YOU INSIDE OR IS THIS A NEW ATTEMPT AT WINNING THE MOST MORONIC TROLL OF THE UNIVERSE AWARD? THAT PRIZE IS RESERVED FOR ME AND ME ONLY, I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW; IN FACT, THEY HAVE EVEN RENAMED IT IN MY HONOR, IT IS NOW THE KARKAT VANTAS, WORST TROLL IN ALL OF TROLLKIND’S HISTORY, AWARD AND THE TRADITIONAL GOLDEN TROPHY HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A MUCH MORE FITTING STEAMING PILE OF MUSCLEBEAST SHIT. YOU WILL NEVER IN A MILLION OF EVEN THE CONDESCENSION’S LIFETIMES BE ABLE TO SURPASS MY OWN PERSONAL ADVANCEMENTS IN NEW AND IMPROVED WAYS A TROLL CAN MAKE A COMPLETE AND UTTER FOOL OF HIMSELF. YOU CAN ONLY DREAM OF SOME OF MY MOST BRILLIANT EFFORTS TO FUCK UP ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, EVER.”

Sollux’s psionics crackled and pressed the redblood’s mouth shut then; regardless of this, the small troll continued to make outraged, but blessedly muffled, noises of protest, “Ith there a reathon you dragged me off to a…” he glanced about and raised an eyebrow at the poorly hidden concupiscent couch, “…concupithent block. No, theriouthly KK, you’re moving a bit fatht here, wanna explain what’th going on?” He gave the other troll a meaningful look before releasing the psionic hold on him.

Karkat dragged in a breath, glowering darkly _no fuck you I am not blushing,_ “SHUT UP, THIS IS WHERE HE… KEEPS ME OR SOMETHING. IT’S NOT IMPORTANT.” The psionic’s other eyebrow rose to meet the first one, but the mutantblood continued on, “IN CASE YOU SOMEHOW FAILED TO NOTICE, YOU ARE CURRENTLY STANDING IN THE HIVE OF A SEADWELLER. IN CASE YOU WERE TOO BUSY FONDLING YOUR SHAME GLOBES WHEN THEY COVERED THE SECTION ON THINGS THAT WILL CULL YOUR SKINNY, LISPY ASS—“ (Sollux winced and muttered a “Don’t talk about my junk right now, that’th jutht awkward.”; Sollux was ignored) “—‘SEADWELLERS’ WERE LISTED DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY ARE **FUCKING INSANE**. WHY WOULD YOU EVEN COME HERE, DID THOSE PSIONICS OF YOURS JUST SHORT OUT AND CAUSE YOU TO HAVE A MAJOR LAPSE IN JUDGMENT OR WHAT THE TAINTCHAFING FUCK? HERE, LET ME SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU, SINCE YOU PROBABLY WON’T GET IT ANY OTHER WAY: THAT DOUCHEY PURPLEBLOODED ONE SEEMS TO THINK I’M HIS NEW PET TROLL, AND NOW HE’S GOT HIS FISHY APPENDAGES ON YOU TOO, AND YOU JUST **WALTZED RIGHT INTO IT**. AND NOT ONLY THAT BUT I JUST FUCKING LET HIM; I THOUGHT I’D CONVINCED HIM TO LEAVE YOU ALONE BUT OBVIOUSLY HE’S SHITHIVE MAGGOTS – BIG SURPRISE – AND NABBED YOU ANYWAY, AND NOW WHO KNOWS WHAT HE’S GOING TO DO WITH THE BOTH OF US. AND DON’T FORGET THAT OTHER SEADWELLER HE’S OUT THERE CHATTING IT UP WITH, PROBABLY EXCHANGING FAVORITE METHODS OF TORTURE OR HAIR CARE TIPS OR WHATEVER THE FUCK ELSE SEADWELLERS CHAT ABOUT EACH OTHER WITH I DON’T EVEN REALLY CARE, ALL I KNOW IS THAT THIS DOES NOT BODE WELL FOR EITHER OF US.”

The yellowblood blinked slowly, shifting his weight as he stared at the shorter troll. Slowly, a hesitant smirk touched his features, as if he wasn’t really sure this was a joke or not, “Ith that what you think ith going on? God, what the hell did he even do to you that would make you think that? I knew you were a thut in but thith is ridiculouth.” 

Karkat’s jaw tensed, a flash of _humiliatedangryupset_ color rising to his face, “DO YOU EVEN LISTEN TO YOURSELF? WHAT DID HE DO TO ME? WELL, LET’S SEE, HE BROKE INTO MY HIVE AND CARRIED ME OFF LIKE SOME SORT OF WAR TROPHY TO KEEP AROUND AND ENJOY AT HIS LEISURE. WHAT AM I **SUPPOSED** TO THINK IS GOING ON?”

The smirk slipped from Sollux’s face as he studied the shorter troll’s expression, then slowly moved to look around the room again. Quietly, he asked, “KK, did he…” the yellowblood stopped, eyes hovering over the concupiscent couch, then flicked back to Karkat, expression carefully blank. 

The mutantblood stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest, ducking his head slightly with a scowl, “NO. GOD NO. I’M PRETTY SURE HE—I THINK—ALMOST. ONCE. BUT I—NOTHING HAPPENED, OKAY.”

He meant to attempt to explain further, but in the space of time it took for him to formulate the words, the air was electrified and the already well-abused door was slammed open; Sollux was all but flying out into the hallway and back in the direction of the recreation block. The sudden-ness startled Crabdad again, sending the overwrought lusus into another fit of hissing and clacking his pincers. 

“I DON’T FUCKING KNOW, OKAY?” Karkat snapped in response to his guardian and followed after the lingering red and blue sparks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys. This is 876 words long. 506 of those words are Karkat.   
> Just over 50% of this chapter is just Karkat yelling.  
> I think maybe I might be enjoying writing his dialogue too much.


	15. Chapter 15

“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?” 

Eridan had just enough time to hear the roar before red and blue psionics slammed him into a wall and pinned him there. Sollux stalked straight up to the trapped seadweller, completely disregarding Feferi’s shout of surprise. Bare seconds later Karkat was standing in the entryway, eyes as wide as a nutrition plateau; he too was ignored.

The flash of alarm on the purpleblood’s face melted into a snarl to match Sollux’s own, “Wwhat’s got your fuckin panties in a twwist noww, mustardblood? Fef an I were just--”

The hacker slammed his hands onto the wall on either side of Eridan’s head, teeth bared as he hissed, “How DARE you—I don’t care how much of a fucking detherate lother you are, you can’t jutht _force_ trollth into pailing you!”

The seadweller’s jaw opened and closed a couple times but no noise came out. Behind him, Sollux could hear Feferi gasp _‘Eridan you—‘_ He didn’t want to see Karkat’s face; he hadn’t meant to say anything in front of the would-be-Empress, but the thought that Eridan had -- He’d heard a rumor in the group that the seadweller had a raging flush-crush on their mysteryblood, but the idea that he would just—

The yellowblood’s psionics crackled again, tightening his hold on the offending male, _“Well?”_

“I didn’t touch him!” the shout was accompanied with a yelp when the sparks bit his skin; the seadweller’s eyes shot from Sollux to somewhere over his shoulder _(no don’t even look at him you filthy excuse for a troll)_ and back, “ _He_ kissed _me_ , cod fuckin—Karkat, what kinda fuckin lies did you _tell_ him?”

“Don’t talk to him.” Sollux grabbed the purpleblood’s jaw and yanked him back so they were eye to eye.

“SOLLUX--” Karkat started to shout, but was quickly cut off by Feferi.

“ _SOLLUX._ Let Eridan down right now! We’re going to sit down and find out what the glub is going on _before_ anyone gets culled!”

There was a tense moment of silence where no one moved. Feferi repeated the yellowblood’s name in warning, and finally he stepped away, red and blue fizzling off into the air. With his support suddenly removed, Eridan dropped to the floor with a yelp. Karkat was making a faintly distressed noise, still hovering nervously by the door. Sollux went to him to keep from going after the purpleblood again, letting the shorter troll grab onto his shirt and shakily admonish him; he wasn’t really listening to what he was being scolded for.

“Now.” Once Feferi had ascertained that her fellow seadweller was (mostly) unharmed, she questioned him, “Eridan, what happened here?”

The purpleblood groused quietly to himself before starting, “I didn’t do nofin to him, I wwas just helpin him wwith his bandages an he kissed me outta the blue.” His face turned faintly purple, “I ain’t sayin I didn’t wwant to or nofin but he was actin wweird, cryin an talkin nonsense at me, so I put a stop to it.” His gaze shifted to the small troll that remained clung to Sollux’s shirt like a lifeline, hiding his face behind his hair, “I get bein grateful an all but you don’t owwe me anyfin like that, Kar.”

Attention shifted to the nubby-horned troll who mumbled something. Sollux jostled him slightly when even he couldn’t hear him; Karkat snapped out, “YOU LEAVE ME IN YOUR CONCUPISCENT BLOCK, ACT LIKE SOME WEIRD CROSS BETWEEN MY MATESPRIT AND PALEMATE, AND THREATEN TO CULL ME IF I TRY TO LEAVE. I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE, YOUR SEADWELLER BUDDIES ALREADY RAIDED MY HIVE, **WHAT THE NOOKBITING FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME**?!” There was another of those awkward moments of silence, wherein Karkat pressed closer to his yellowblood friend but continued to hide his face. Sollux clutched him, trying to make sense of his words, and almost missed his next, quieter, statement, “Look, I give up. Just do whatever you want with me, I probably deserve it anyway, but let Sollux go, leave my friends alone.”

“Karkat.” Feferi chirped, and the yellowblood looked to her; she had an odd expression on her face as she stood, facing the two lowerbloods, “Look at me.” Karakt hesitated, but did, meeting her gaze. She waved her hand at the symbol decorating her shirt and asked gently, “Do you know who I am?”

He was quiet a moment before it clicked, “Tyrian blood is cuttlefishCuller… um…. Peixes.” The small troll knit his eyebrows in confusion, having apparently just recognized her. Or her blood color, anyway. He glanced back up to her face, suddenly uncertain.

She smiled, careful to not reveal too many teeth, “Yes, it’s nice to finally see you in person.” Next she pointed at Eridan, “Do you know who he is?”

The mysteryblood glanced to the other seadweller, taking a moment to think, then looked back to Feferi, slowly shaking his head in the negative as if he wasn’t really sure anymore.

“See, here is where our problem lies!” She was suddenly quite chipper again, “Karkat, meet Eridan! His Trollian handle is caligulasAquarium, and he is a big dummy who obviously didn’t think to introduce himself properly!” She giggled, clasping her hands together.

Sollux blinked down at Karkat; the smaller troll remained frozen in place, eyes wide in confusion. A glance to Eridan showed the purpleblood to be sulking, but he at least looked moderately embarrassed. 

The yellowblood was really starting to tire of these awkward silences. He gently nudged his friend, “Hey. You gonna be okay?”

As if he were stuck in slow motion, the shorter troll turned his face up to meet Sollux’s gaze, breathing, “I think so.”

Karkat promptly and without warning passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now Sollux perspectives? :o  
> No seriously, when I planned this out it was 100% from Karkat's perspective. Just goes to show you that I'm terrible at following my own plans.


	16. Chapter 16

“Tho… you never even thought to, I dunno, athk who he wath or what he wanted or anything.”

Karkat buried his face in his crossed arms and made a noise that really could have meant anything. When that failed to get his _frustrationembarrassment_ across he looked up again, “LOOK, I ALREADY TOLD YOU. THE NIGHT SOME UNFAMILIAR SEADWELLER COMES BURSTING INTO YOUR HIVE AND DRAGS YOU OFF WITH HIM, LET ME KNOW HOW MANY QUESTIONS YOU FEEL LIKE ASKING.”

“I wwas in a hurry, wwe had to leave before the drones came back.” Eridan snorted derisively from beside Feferi on the couch, “Didn’t havve time for you to act like a wwiggler.”

“A ‘HEY I’M ERIDAN I’M HERE TO RESCUE YOU’ WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE.”

“Wwould you a listened?”

The mutantblood shifted in his seat, falling silent; Sollux sighed and leaned on his friend’s chair.

“I didn’t do a thing to you, ain’t no reason for you to a been scared as you claim you wwere.” The purpleblood crossed his arms, frowning.

Again, the mutantblood shifted, opening his mouth to protest; all that escaped was a weak noise. With a huff, he turned away again, “ALL RIGHT FINE, SO PAST KARKAT IS THE BIGGEST, MOST PAN-ROTTED NOOKSUCKING MORON THERE IS, SO STUPID HE’S BEEN BANNED FOR LIFE FROM THE IDIOT OLYMPICS, HIS PAN IS SO EMPTY THAT IF YOU STAND REAL CLOSE YOU CAN HEAR THE FUCKING SEA. I GOT IT, FINE. NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS: WHAT THE FLYING FUCK WAS THAT FISH FACED DOUCHE DOING NEAR MY HIVE IN THE FIRST PLACE?”

“We sent him there to get you!” Feferi chirped, bouncing a little in her spot. Karkat stared blankly at her until she expounded on that statement, “Solfish and I were working on this program that sends us an alarm if the drones come near any of our hives. It’s not very precise yet, but it picked up the drone closing in on you and so we got a hold of everyone and Eridan was nearby, so we told him to swim by and pick you up!”

Karkat blinked at her slowly, then dropped his chin to his chest, snorting, “MOTHERFUCKING MIRACLES. SOMEONE OUGHTA TELL THE CLOWN ABOUT THIS.”

“Tho what did you do to get on the culling litht, KK?”

The mutantblood inhaled sharply, biting down on the inside of his lip before snapping, “NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS IS WHY.”

Sollux snorted, “I’m going to have to get you off the litht, and if there’th thomething I can do to keep you off the litht that would be the time to do it.”

There was a tense silence, the redblood staring at his hands as they clenched and unclenched in his lap and chewing on his lip in indecision.

“It’s cause of his--“ Eridan suddenly said, and was quickly cut off with a shout of, “DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE SAY IT.”

The purpleblood frowned at him, “If you’ll just stop being such a wwiggler about it and fess up, Sol can probably just change it in the registry an you wwon’t have to wworry about it again.”

“’WON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT.’ THAT’S A FUCKING LAUGH. HA HA HA LOOK AT HOW HARD I AM LAUGHING. IF IT WERE THAT EASY DON’T YOU THINK I’D HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO THAT A LONG TIME AGO? OH WAIT, I DID, AND LOOK HOW MUCH GOOD THAT’S DONE ME!” 

Sollux’s psionics crackled through the air and snapped the redblood’s mouth shut before he could continue. With an annoyed look at the shorter troll, the yellowblood asked, “Fine, if you know what the problem ith, how about you thare with the clath, ED.”

Karkat was squirming in the red and blue hold, shooting the purpleblood panicked looks, _no no no you can’t tell them don’t say it They’ll think I’m disgusting don’t you I’m just a worthless mutant they can’t help_

Eridan met the captive troll’s eyes, looking more and more uncertain about saying anything. Feferi laid a hand on his arm, drawing his attention away and give him a small smile, “Sollux, let Karcrab go. It’s not right to get the information this way.” She looked to the redblood, “Don’t worry, whatever it is we’re still your fronds! We’re just trying to kelp!”

Freed, the mutantblood shrunk back into the cushions of his chair, looking between all three of them. Gaze settling on Eridan, finally, he frowned, eyebrows furrowing. After a moment he turned his gaze on his hands, bringing a claw to the back of one hand and slicing open a small cut. Keeping his head down, he lifted the wound, feeling the _digustingrepulsivemutantredredred_ blood rise to the surface. There was a gasp from Feferi and silence from Sollux. When he glanced up between his bangs he saw Eridan looking away. Karkat withdrew his hand to his lap, staunching the wound on the inside of his shirt and curling tighter in on himself as if he could disappear if he tried hard enough.

And then Sollux was grabbing onto his arm, pulling the wound back out into the light; Karkat cringed, then jerked his head up when his hand was shoved against a pair of horns, “Ath if you’re the only fucking mutant here. Thtop being tho pitiful before I pap you into next thweep.”

The mutantblood jerked his hand back again, face flushing as he frowned up at the yellowblood. The psionic’s cheek were tinted yellow, but he didn’t look away. 

“Wweren’t you twwo in spades?” Eridan (thankfully) interrupted the moment.

Sollux cocked his head at the seadweller, “Where’d you get an idea like that?”

“I TOLD HIM WE WERE KISMESIS BECAUSE HE- IT SOUNDED LIKE- ARGH FORGET IT I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS ANYMORE.” Karkat scrubbed his hand through his hair, once again refusing to meet anyone’s gaze. 

Feferi giggled and graciously changed the subject, “Now, until Sollux can get you off the culling list, Karkat, you’ll have to stay somewhere! Eridan and I are better equipped to hide and protect you -- no offense Solfish~! -- but I can sea where you might not want to stay here.”

The small mutantblood managed to push the awkwardness out of his mind and sat in silence a moment to think, frowning at the floor. After a moment he started, almost hesitantly, “IF…” swallow, lick lips, try again, “I THINK IF THAT DOUCHEBAG WOULD JUST… YOU’RE RIGHT, OF COURSE, MY BEST OPTION IS TO STAY HERE. NOT LIKE I EVEN KNOW WHY YOU ARE ALL BOTHERING -- FUCK, YOU’RE ALL RISKING YOUR DAMN LIVES, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE PENALTY IS FOR ALL OF THIS? YOU HAVE TO KNOW. AND IF ANY OF YOU BULGEMUNCHES WERE TO GET CULLED BECAUSE I CAN’T JUST RUN OUT AND IMPALE MYSELF ON THE NEAREST CULLING DRONE’S FORK LIKE A GOOD LITTLE ALTERNIAN PATRIOT -- SOLLUX DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH MY FACE, REMOVE YOUR GRABBY APPENDAGE FROM THE VICINITY OF MY VISAGE BEFORE I BITE IT OFF, I’M NOT DONE TALKING.” pause, breath, introduce Sollux to middle finger, “I DON’T WANT ANY OF YOU GETTING CULLED BECAUSE OF ME. SO THIS IS JUST TEMPORARY, AND AS SOON AS I’M OFF THE LIST I’M LEAVING AND I’LL FIND SOME HOLE BEFITTING OF MY STATUS TO CRAWL INTO AND YOU WON’T HAVE TO HEAR FROM ME OR STICK YOUR WINDPIPE OUT FOR ME EVER AGAIN, AND THAT’S THAT-- _WILL YOU STOP **TOUCHING** ME NOW?!_ ”

Feferi giggled again -- that was really starting to get on his nerves -- as Eridan half-pinned the shouty troll to the chair in a hug as Sollux (attempted) to pat his face with a snort of laughter. After a few attempts were fended off, psionics pinned Karkat’s hands to the seadweller’s shoulders and the yellowblood triumphantly pressed a hand over the redblood’s mouth, successfully silencing the tirade.

“Thut up you over-dramatic, thelf-pitying grub and let the grownupth get a word in.”

Eridan’s face was hidden from view, pressed against Karkat’s shoulder as it was (he resolutely ignored the slight dampening of his shirt because _trolls do not cry over me, this is not a thing that happens_ ), but the redblood could hear him mumbling _something_ ; he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to hear it, but attempted to push against where the psionics had his hands pinned anyway, growling a low _‘get off me.’_ The seadweller complied, drawing back to perch on the armrest opposite Sollux and reaching up to stuff a good third of his scarf into his own mouth.

Patiently, the would-be-Empress waited for the three boys to settle before saying smoothly, “Karkat, have you heard of the Signless?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a definite possibility that this prompt got away from me.


	17. Chapter 17

The mutantblood’s confused look was answer enough, it seemed. Settling her skirts and looking like royalty trollified, Feferi cleared her throat and began. She spoke of the time before the Youth Rebellion, when adults were still commonplace on Alternia. She detailed the rescue of a particular grub from the brooding caverns and the jadeblood that abandoned her post to do it. And finally she told the tale of the Youth Rebellion, the troll that dreamed of uniting the blood castes and abolishing the hemospectrum, his ultimate demise, and how his followers went underground to continue spreading his word, adopting the shape of his shackles as their patron’s symbol.

The other three trolls silently listened, enthralled with the tale. When she was finally done, she smiled directly at Karkat and asked, quietly, “Do you know what color the Signless’ blood was?” when he shook his head, she answered simply, “Red! Just like yours.” Her smile went up a notch, the solemn atmosphere bursting under her cheerfulness, “It is said among the followers of the Sufferer that there would be a Second Coming, and here you are!”

Karkat looked down, touching the symbol on his chest almost reverently. After a moment he looked up and frowned, “…SO WHAT, SO I APPARENTLY HAVE AN ANCESTOR THAT STEPPED OUT OF LINE AND GOT CULLED FOR IT. WHAT’S YOUR POINT?”

She laughed lightly and leaned forward, chin in hands, voice lowered as if she was imparting some great secret. And maybe she was. “I would like to do what the Signless couldn’t. Get rid of the hemospectrum. And to accomplish that… I need to be the Empress.” A smile quirked her lips, “I could use your help, descendant of Signless.” The mutantblood gaped at her and she leaned back again, “No, no, you don’t need to answer now, the day to act is still pretty far off! But I want you to think about it!” She stood gracefully, hands brushing down her skirts, “I’m glad that we got to straighten everyfin out, but I really must be swimming along. Shorely my dear lusus must be wondering where I’ve gone off to so late! If Eridan keeps being a dummy, just troll me and I’ll make sure to straighten him out, Krabcatch! Sollux, will you make it to shore by yourself all right?” At his nod, she waved and all but bounced out of the block.

Once she was cleared out, Sollux stood, stretching, and checked the time on his personal communication device, “If I thtay much longer I won’t be able to get back before daylight. KK, if ED doeth anything, you’re thtaying at my hive, like it or not.”

Eridan sneered, and Karkat just nodded tiredly. His head was swimming with all of tonight revelations, and all he really wanted was to sleep and try to straighten it all out tomorrow. Sollux hesitated at the entryway to the block as if he wanted to say something else, but decided against it and just left with a vague wave.

There was a tense silence when the seadweller and mutantblood were again left alone. Eridan broke it with a hesitant, “Kar…”

“I’M GOING TO ‘COON. STAY OUT OF MY BLOCK THIS TIME.” He barely gave the seadweller time to finish his sentence, absconding from the block to his own quarters where he could curl up in the borrowed recuperacoon and sleep easier than he’d done in what felt like perigrees. 

~

Waking up and knowing he was a free troll was a surprisingly new feeling. It’s not like he’d been kept a captive all his life -- and really, he hadn’t even been a captive the past few nights -- but crawling out of his recuperacoon, washing away the slime, dressing, and curling up in his pile with his lusus without fearing that a violent troll would smash his way into the block and start making demands was actually pretty refreshing. He almost could have smiled.

As it was, he just spent a few moments with his lusus (it was so rare for them to not be squabbling over this or that; the last time he could remember feeling this close to his lusus, he’d been just a wiggler.), attempting to get across that they were not in danger here. Ultimately, lusii just couldn’t comprehend some of the more complex aspects that a troll could, but he hoped that he managed to convince the crab. Regardless, he urged his guardian to stay in the block, rather than have him venture out and pick a fight with the seadweller’s lusus.

When Karkat finally ventured forth to the nutrition block, Eridan was already there. His calm crashed down around his ears and was replaced with awkwardness and uncertainty. 

“Finally crawwled outta your coon, huh? I already finished eatin, you’ll hafta make somethin for yourself.” was the greeting he got. At least the seadweller looked just as uncertain as he felt. 

The mutantblood nodded in greeting and went to rifle through the thermal hull and eventually settled on toast with grubsauce. Busily working on preparing his meal, he twitched a little in surprise when the other troll spoke up behind him.

“So uh… did you evver get to thinkin’ about maybe you an me… tryin’ somethin kinda reddish?”

It was possibly the worst proposal Karkat had ever heard in his life. He vaguely recalled the conversation that the seadweller had been referencing, though, and he took a moment to think about it, pretending that the spreading of grubsauce was a task that took utmost precision and concentration in the meantime. At the time, he’d only really been able to muster up a platonic hatred for the strange seadweller that was keeping his captive in the middle of the sea and propositioning him with questions he felt he couldn’t safely say no to. But now it was different. The hatred had all together dissipated and been replaced with… _something_. There was a sense of pity there, but nothing that even the most immature wiggler would mistake for red or even pale emotion. It was just a tangle of bewilderment, hurt, anger, and that confusing bit of compassion that he couldn’t really sort out. It wouldn’t be hard to pity him; he was socially awkward (though not as much as the mutantblood shut-in himself), and his quadrants were a mess (whatever happened to that flushcrush he’d professed for his palemate once?), and for all his bluster and highblood power he was just so obviously insecure in every way ( _gee, sound like anyone we know?_ ). A glance from the corner of his eye confirmed that the purpleblood wasn’t exactly _hideous_ or anything either, if you ignored the stupid hipster frames and that dumb get up. Karkat exhaled, blowing his bangs out of his face, _What the fuck am I even thinking, I should be flattered anyone even wants anything to do with my quadrants, even if it is this pathetic fuck._

Well, the pathetic fuck in question had waited long enough for an answer, “I don’t know right now.”

Eridan seemed to deflate and _oh my fuck is he actually pouting what the hell,_ huffing slightly and turning back to peck morosely at his husktop some more. He mumbled, probably more to himself, “It’s not like I meant to scare you. Thought maybe you’d think it wwas romantic or somethin.”

Karkat decided that that didn’t require a response and instead settled at the opposite end of the table with his toasted bread, digging in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, all of you lovely people commenting on this are making me blush! x3 I don't remember if I've thanked you all already, but if not, _thank you tons_ (if I did thank you already, you can just deal with hearing me gush all over again) and I hope you continue enjoying this!  <3


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the slight delay, I've been having internet issues! That's still a thing that is happening, but I got stable 'net long enough that I could post this, so here you are~

It was a few sleeps later and Karkat had taken to exploring the ship-hive. He’d already watched and re-watched all the movies that Sollux had brought, picked through what the seadweller had for movies, and in the stretches of time where the seadweller was gone, the redblood needed something to occupy his mind. Sitting idle left him too much time to think – about how much of a fuck up he was, about _Eridan_ , about the fact that he was basically stranded in the middle of the sea and surrounded by seadwellers that _probably_ wouldn’t think twice about culling a misplaced little landweller. 

Right, distractions. Eridan had said something about this ship having once belonged to his ancestor, Scarface the Orphan or something. Pretty dumb name. The seadweller (and, by extension, the mutantblood guest) mostly stuck to a few centrally located hallways that stemmed off from the entryway on deck; Karkat was mildly disappointed to find that a lot of the blocks outside of the living space were empty and abandoned, and as he wandered further away, they became more decrepit and filled with dust. He wasn’t entirely sure what he expected – a ballroom, maybe, or a firing range? A huge, multi-level library? -- but a lot of dust sure wasn’t it. A morbid curiosity drew him to try finding a helmsman’s block, but he couldn’t find anything that looked like that either; maybe sea-bound ships weren’t piloted with enslaved psionics, or maybe just this one wasn’t. Eridan would probably know. Karkat wasn’t sure if he was curious enough to sit through the potential history lesson.

If he were to be honest with himself, he didn’t really want to see Eridan at all right now. Well, maybe he did, but – it’s complicated, okay? The more time spent mulling over it, the less resent he felt he could fairly direct at the troll that had saved him, despite his blood and caustic personality and thousands of other faults, without any obvious motives. On top of that, the highblood _continued_ to risk his neck by hiding a fugitive mutant from the Empire. The redblood had _tried_ to come up with a motive, he really had, but the only thing he could find was the flimsy excuse of friendship, or maybe some sort of loyalty to Feferi? 

There was also that affection he felt towards the seadweller. At first the mutantblood had written it off; he’d hardly ever interacted with other trolls for fear of rejection, and then this one just swoops in and shows him a bit _(a lot)_ of kindness… of course he’d get attached. But it didn’t fade; if anything, it just spread, until he’d sometimes catch himself sneaking glances at the other male and reveling in any small scrap of attention thrown his way, and generally feeling like some kind of pity-starved shmuck. It wasn’t like in the movies; there wasn’t any grand, life-altering moment where he just laid eyes upon his one true desire and could say with 100% certainty, _‘that is the troll I want to spend my life with.’_ There wasn’t a clumsy but well-meaning moirail to contrive a series of plots meant to bring them together and make them realize that this was a case of Serendipity. It just was. 

Eridan pitied Karkat. Karkat pitied Eridan. 

Karkat wasn’t sure what was supposed to come after that. _I mean, obviously I should say so? But you don’t just… ‘Oh, hey, so how’s the weather? By the way you are positively the_ most _pitiful troll I have ever laid my ocular orbs on and it would be swell if we could exchange matesprit rings and pick out pails.’ Errgh, what the hell are you thinking, you’re moving way too fast there._ He paused mid-stride in the hallway to scrub a hand over his face as if that would somehow wipe away his heavy blush. _And besides that, why are you even pretending that this is an option. When the drones come around he’ll have to find someone else for his red quadrant anyway, they’d take one look at your nasty mutant grubsauce and mercy-cull you and your quadrants._ The redblood’s shoulders sagged, hand still covering the lower half of his face. _So… it’d probably be better I let him get over it. Get over it myself. Maybe I could still go stay with Sollux or something…_

“You gonna just stand there all night?” 

Eridan’s voice made the mutantblood jump, turning sharply to stare wide-eyed at the seadweller. The highblood had his head cocked slightly, gaze fixed on Karkat who was…. Just standing in the hallway blushing like a wiggler caught with his pants down by his lusus. _Fuck Couldn’t you have your mental revelations somewhere more private, you bulgefisting moron?_

The corners of the taller troll’s lips quirked up in what might have been an attempt to hold back a smile, and the redblood’s bloodpusher skipped a beat in the cheesiest, romcom trope-esque way possible. “Wwhat’s on your mind?”

Karkat licked his lips. He mentally ran through a list of readily available ways to express _‘fuck off it’s none of your business’,_ picked one, and then said instead, “YOU ARE SO FUCKING PITIFUL.”

The silence was stifling. Or maybe that was just the sudden flood of blood to his face making him feel overheated. _Oh my grub shitting fuck what the hell did you just say? What did I_ just _get done saying? That was terrible, it was completely the wrong moment and you sounded like a wiggler and FUCK I’m blushing stop blushing stopitstopitstopit—_ “I’M SORRY, I—“

Eridan brought a hand to his mouth and _snickered_. He actually _laughed_.

Karkat was flushing red for a whole different reason. He squared his shoulders, set his face in a scowl, and bolstered his defenses, “WHAT? SO THIS WHOLE THING WAS JUST SOME BIG JOKE? OF FUCKING COURSE. I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED, BUT OF COURSE, PAST KARKAT HAD HIS HEAD STUFFED SO FAR UP HIS OWN WASTE CHUTE HE COULDN’T EVEN FIGURE THAT MUCH OUT.” His bloodpusher hurt. He ignored it.


	19. Chapter 19

The seadweller wasn’t laughing anymore; he looked startled now, taking a step closer, “Wwhoa, wwhoa, no, wwait kar. Hold on I wwas serious about wwantin us to be a thing.”

Karkat frowned, uncertain suddenly. He knew, _logically,_ that it probably hadn’t been a prank. Eridan wasn’t much of prankmaster, and he was a terrible liar on top of it. There was no way he could have kept up an act like that for this long.

But the mutantblood just couldn’t wrap his thinkpan around the idea. Platonic hate, sure, and there must be something likeable enough (or laughable enough) for the trolls who called him ‘friend’ to stick around. 

“Did you mean it, Kar? That you pity me too?”

Karkat crossed his arms and avoided his gaze by looking at the floor instead, “I DIDN’T ACTUALLY SAY THAT!” he hunched his shoulders a little, adding quietly, “But, yeah, I guess I do.”

Eridan perked up and took the last few steps to close the distance between them. The mutantblood dropped his arms and looked up, about to question him, but his voice failed him when the purpleblood looped his arms around the shorter troll’s midsection, pressing their bodies flush together. Karkat spluttered, stiffening in surprise; the seadweller didn’t back off, and in fact may have hugged him all the tighter. After a moment, the mutantblood brought his hands up, awkwardly flitting them against the other troll’s sides before resting them passively against his back, not sure if he wanted to reclaim his personal space or stay like this forever.

Barely a breath or two after, the redblooded troll had started to relax when the highblood pulled back, catching his gaze, “Is it all right if I kiss you?” He looked…. Hopeful, expectant, a touch embarrassed if the purple brushing his fins was to be trusted.

Karkat tensed again, biting his lip, and was briefly concerned that his face would be permanently stained red, “DON’T JUST ASK SOMETHING LIKE THAT YOU MONUMENTAL DOUCHECANOE IT’S—“

Lips brushed lips ( _he tastes like salt_ ), the touch hesitant and light, and the smaller troll momentarily remembered the last time he’d had lips on his own. The memory made his mentally scowl, and he caught his claws in that gaudy scarf, tugging the seatroll closer. Neither had magically gleaned any experience in the art of sloppy makeouts; teeth clashed and pricked at lips, hands fluttered awkwardly from place to place until they found a suitable resting spot (One of Eridan’s settled upon the curve of Karkat’s ass; Karkat surprised himself when he didn’t actually mind), and movements that never quite synced up caused several bumped noses, a loss of glasses, and one bit lip. An overzealous attempt to introduce tongue finally had the mutantblood pulling away with a soft gasp for air, absentmindedly wiping his mouth on the back of his hand as he looked up from under his bangs. Eridan pressed his nose against the shorter troll’s hair, his breathe coming in quiet puffs of air that ghosted past Karkat’s ear and made him shiver. 

“That wwas terrible.” Eridan proclaimed after a few beats of silence, finally releasing the redblood. There was amusement to his tone, and Karkat couldn’t even find it in himself to take offense when he looked up at the purple-tinted face and slightly swollen lips. A drop of violet blood had welled up on the seadweller’s upper lip where he’d been nicked with a tooth, and the quick swipe of a tongue managed to completely miss it.

“FUCK YOU VERY MUCH, ASSWIPE.” Karkat grabbed a handful of that terrible scarf and used it to pull the taller troll down to his level, impulsively licking away the stray droplet of blood. Eridan _whimpered_ when the mutantblood released him and turned away to hide the tiny smile, “I’M GOING TO GO TAKE THAT SHOWER I WAS ON MY WAY TO BEFORE SOMEONE DECIDED TO ACCOST ME IN THE HALLWAYS.” 

After he’d already started off, intent on hiding away his heated face and calming his racing thoughts (and settle raging adolescent hormones), Eridan called out to him, “Pity you, Kar.”

The Cancer paused and ducked his head, cracking a small smile, “Yeah, pity you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then they fricked!  
> Er, I mean, and then they lived happily ever after. And probably fricked eventually. Yup.
> 
> Anyway. I hope any/all readers enjoyed themselves, because I seriously had a lot of fun writing it. x3  
> As I mentioned somewhere around the beginning, critiques are highly encouraged! I'm a huge feedback junkie.


End file.
